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The development of the piano during the Romantic era
During the Romantic era, several developments as below were made to the piano.
  • The piano was reshaped and enlarged to create a greater sound.
  • The number of notes increased in both treble and bass registers to seven octaves, giving a greater pitch range for musical expression.
  • felt replaced leather on the hammers, pro

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    ducing a more rounded and fuller tone
  • strings were longer, stronger and under increased tensions than previously
  • the body frame of the piano was constructed of metal (as opposed to wood) to cope with the increased string tensions
  • the sustaining pedals and soft cocks were developed

These developments gave composers greater opportunities to express Romantic ideas in music. The sound and tone of the instrument, which was invented during the Classical era, was improved considerably to give the instrument more power over an increased dynamic spectrum, which was vital in the expressing the extreme dynamic ranges prevalent in the Romantic music. The piano became the supreme solo instrument of the Romantic era.



Organ and harpsichord music, which were popular in past eras, began to diminish in importance. Piano music quickly stepped in to fill the void. The piano was an extremely versatile instrument, drawing both performers and composers to it at an increasingly rapid pace. The piano provided a wide dynamic range, the ability to distinguish between loud and soft, and a large capacity for sonority , which its predecessors did not have. This versatility enabled the performer to express artistic abilities that ranged from a quiet, delicate newborn kitten to that of a proud confident lion king. No other instrument to date matched the ability and endless possibilities that the piano suddenly gave musicians. The damper pedal allowed musicians to try new and exciting harmonic effects, and along with new keyboard mechanics, allowed them to fine tune their compositions in any number of ways.